In the assembly of cables, the conductors thereof are typically connected using a plug connector. The plug connector can be a plug, an installation plug, a socket, a coupler or an adapter. The term plug connector used in the context of the invention represents all variants.
A plug connector serves for establishing an electrical connection to a respective, complementary further plug connector.
In particular plug connectors for the automotive industry, or for vehicles, are set high requirements in terms of the robustness of said plug connectors and in terms of the reliability of the plug connection. A plug connection thus has to at times withstand high stresses, for example mechanical stresses or thermal stresses, and be closed in a defined manner such that the electrical connection is not inadvertently cut, for example during the operation of a vehicle. The guarantee of reliability is paramount in particular in the case of a (partially) autonomous operation of vehicles and for assistance systems.
For example, in the case of an autonomous operation of a vehicle, or in the case of the use of assistance systems, high quantities of data from a plurality of cameras, various sensors, and navigational sources have at times to be combined with one another and transported, usually in real-time. The operation of many apparatuses, screens, and cameras accordingly requires a high-capacity infrastructure in the vehicle electronics. Accordingly, the requirements set for the plug connectors and for the cable connections in terms of the required data rate within a vehicle have in the meantime been set very high. At the same time it is important that the plug connectors are configured so as to be as compact as possible in order for installation space and weight to be saved.
The present invention is not limited to the use in a vehicle, wherein the term vehicle comprises any transportation means in the context of the invention, in particular terrestrial (e.g. motor vehicles), nautical, or aeronautical vehicles, including spacecraft.
The invention is not limited to a specific plug connection, or to a specific plug connector, respectively, although the invention is particularly suitable for high bit-rate plug connectors (HF plug connectors). The plug connector can in particular be configured as a PL plug connector, a BNC plug connector, a TNC plug connector, a SMBA(FAKRA) plug connector, a N plug connector, a 7/16 plug connector, a SMA plug connector, a SMB plug connector, a SMS plug connector, a SMC plug connector, or a SMP plug connector.
The plug connection can preferably be configured as a so-called HFM (“High Speed FAKRA Mini”) plug connection. It is known from the prior art that plug connections of this type having frequencies up to 15 GHz and data rates up to 20 Gbit/s can be used. At the same time, the plug connectors are configured so as to be extremely compact and space-saving, for example as compared to the conventional FAKRA standard.
It is known from practice that snap-fit connections which (in a mechanically releasable manner) fix the plug connection in the plugged-together state are provided for plug connectors. For example, a coaxial plug connector having a plastics housing, which corresponds to the so-called FAKRA standardization scheme for SMB connections and discloses a snap-fit connection is known from US 2003/0176104 A1.
For BNC plug connectors, reference to this end being made, for example, to the coaxial plug connector disclosed in DE 20 2013 000 877 U1, it is furthermore known for the plug connection to be mechanically secured by a bayonet fitting. The bayonet fitting is implemented in that one of the plug connectors configures a protrusion, while a bayonet nut having a helical groove is configured on the head of the other plug connector. The protrusion can be introduced into the helical groove. The bayonet fitting is then closed by rotating the bayonet nut, so as to connect the two plug connectors secured inside one another. However, BNC plug connectors are not suitable for all applications, and are typically usable only for transmitting signals at frequencies up to 4 GHz.
It has been demonstrated in practice that the mechanical fixing of the plug connection substantially influences the quality of the electrical connection, for example on account of the electromagnetic tightness or shielding, respectively, and the assurance of a stable, vibration-proof and thus also low-resistance contact face. It has been demonstrated herein that the known snap-fit connections do not offer any satisfying solutions for achieving comparatively high data rates, or comparatively high transmission frequencies, respectively.